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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

Everyday I come across many cool Linux tips and tricks. I have been saving them in PDFs, DOCs, TXTs. I have so much now that now it really difficult to search something I am looking for. So I end using google yet again to find something I had already found and is in my collection of files.

I have been thinking of keeping them in a format so that it can be accessed easily. I seem to have found a solution: running a private wiki server on my desktop. Do you have any other recommendations other than wiki? Of course, I can't run the wiki on my Android tablet.

I am in a dilemma to choose between 2 wikis:

MediaWiki
Most popular. Learning the syntax is a good investment as well. But requires use of mysql db which can prove to be difficult if I need to sync the wiki between several desktops I have (home and work desktop).

DokuWiki
Lightweight and everything is stored in text files. Might be the one I need. Skeptical about it's future support and continuity.

Last edited by the_gripmaster; 11-08-2011 at 10:30 AM.
Reason: corrected spelling of DokuWiki

That's part of your problem of course. Pick a format and stick with it.

I think setting up your own wiki is over complicating it. You can store all this stuff in plain text files.

Create a directory called LinuxNotes or something like that. When you find something new make a new plain text file containing the details and put it in that directory. Use meaningful filenames such as how_to_install_flash.txt If you want to get a bit more organisation make sub directories with names like GNOMENotes ApacheConfig and things like that.

You can easily search the content of plain text files with grep. You can easily search filenames with find.

Code:

$ find . -iname \*flash\*

This isn't fancy, but the set up is virtually nill and you don't have to worry about software support.

Every year or whenever you can find review what's still relevant and delete anything which you know you don't need any more or move it in to a directory called Obsolete of something like that. The way to make reviewing files manageable is to see which of them have not been modified for say, a year

Code:

$ find . -mtime +365

and then look at those.

Last edited by arizonagroovejet; 11-10-2011 at 03:11 AM.
Reason: s/probably/problem/

You could use docs.google.com. Copy and paste your favorite tips into a document. Bookmark the URL, or a shortened URL, for easy access and sharing with your friends. Your tips can be accessible anywhere you have access to a web browser.

MediaWiki
Most popular. Learning the syntax is a good investment as well. But requires use of mysql db which can prove to be difficult if I need to sync the wiki between several desktops I have (home and work desktop).
...

If you were going top choose MediaWiki, I would definitely advise that you take a look at Zim. It is a note taking application which uses the MediaWiki format.

I looked at all of the note taking applications that I could find, and there seemed to be something seriously wrong with all of them, for my usage. Zim isn't as superficially attractive as the Tomboy's of this world, but doesn't really have anything serious wrong, that I have noticed, although I don't usually want MediaWiki as an output format...

If you were going top choose MediaWiki, I would definitely advise that you take a look at Zim. It is a note taking application which uses the MediaWiki format.

I looked at all of the note taking applications that I could find, and there seemed to be something seriously wrong with all of them, for my usage. Zim isn't as superficially attractive as the Tomboy's of this world, but doesn't really have anything serious wrong, that I have noticed, although I don't usually want MediaWiki as an output format...

One of my colleagues also recommended me Zim. I also gave it a go. But I couldn't find a way to search for a particular thing (like which pages has the word RHEL) within all the notes.

search > search does that for me (but not search > find, which only does single page search), but that may be because I have evrything in one 'note', with multiple 'chapters', rather than anything else (not quite sure about the terminology here).

Zim Wiki, Tomboy, Gnote: all are okay but is missing one major functionality I am looking for, searching through the entire wiki (notes)

I'm not sure what you're saying. Tomboy's search all notes function does a full-text search on all notes. Once in a note, you can jump from one occurrence of the search string to the next. What more could you want?

I'm not sure what you're saying. Tomboy's search all notes function does a full-text search on all notes. Once in a note, you can jump from one occurrence of the search string to the next. What more could you want?